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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Blog RSS</title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/</link><pubDate>Sat, 13 Jan 2018 00:01:00 +0000</pubDate><item><title><![CDATA[5 Reasons a College Degree Kills Communication in Construction]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/5-reasons-a-college-degree-kills-communication-in-construction/</link><description><![CDATA[Alright so the title was clickbait for sure- #fakenews- the reason being the importance of communication is so cliche and overstated no one is going to read an article titled “The Importance of Communication in Construction” (side note- I did think about titling this “how to communicate more better”).

That said despite meetings, emails, conference calls, more emails, phone calls, more emails-  I cannot believe how bad we as an industry seem to be at it!  This poor communication leads to small]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[3 Tips for Reviewing a SOV]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/3-tips-for-reviewing-a-sov/</link><description><![CDATA[Schedule of values are often hastily submitted with the first pay app.  Everyone is so excited (or busy) now that work has begun seemingly minor items (inadvertent or intentional) that could haunt the project may be overlooked.  Here are a few quick items to look for when reviewing a schedule of values to help avoid punches in the gut down the road.

Item #1: Front Loading
Watch out for excessive front loading of the schedule of values.  What this means is a subcontractor will more heavily value]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 23 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ways to Deal with Moisture Mitigation for Flooring]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/ways-to-deal-with-moisture-mitigation-for-flooring/</link><description><![CDATA[It’s all LEED’s fault!  Ten to fifteen years ago high VOC adhesives were commonplace and vapor drive from curing concrete causing failure in water based “green” adhesives was something that only an unfortunate few of us had experienced.

The problem in a nutshell is water soluble, LEED compliant, low VOC adhesives are much more susceptible to failure due to water released from the concrete while it is curing (remember concrete curing can take a long time- the longer concrete cures the stronger]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/teaching-old-dogs-new-tricks/</link><description><![CDATA[Some of the most brilliant construction minds today (usually project managers above the age of 50 and superintendents above the age of 40- sorry to stereotype here...) don’t use all the wonderful technology that makes all of our lives easier (ie allows us to spit out twice as much as we did 10 years ago).

But times are changing and while old dogs don't necessarily need to learn new tricks to be successful here are some useful observations I’ve had.

Watch out for the self fulfilling prophecy]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 16 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[To Scope (Review) of Not to Scope (Review)- That is The Question]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/to-scope-review-of-not-to-scope-review-that-is-the-question/</link><description><![CDATA[I have worked for a couple of different construction managers during my career.  Some prided themselves in detailed, well organized scope reviews- while others just saw scope reviews as a waste of time that usually only ended up adding costs to the project.

Which construction manager had their projects run more smoothly? Which construction manager do you think had more issues with budget? Before I answer that let’s go through some pros and cons for both approaches.

Approach A: Review the]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[10 Key Questions to Ask During a Scope Review]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/10-key-questions-to-ask-during-a-scope-review/</link><description><![CDATA[Yesterday I wrote a post about whether or not a scope review was necessary- if you do think a scope review fits your project goals here are 10 essential questions (and some context as to why).

1.  Will you sign our contract?
Most projects I have been a part of have a non negotiable boiler plate full of legal jargon which is not going to be changed for anyone under any circumstances.  If a subcontractor is not willing to sign the contract than the relationship cannot go any further.  This sounds]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 12 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Long Lead Time Items- Why they Impact You & How to Avoid Them!]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/long-lead-time-items-why-they-impact-you-how-to-avoid-them/</link><description><![CDATA[Well I tricked you with a little clickbait there- because truth be told there is no way to avoid a long lead time item - but what I can do is give you some tools to help effectively manage these items so they stay off the critical path.  

First and foremost let’s start off with a definition of a long lead time item.  In the most stringent terms it is any item that isn’t readily available.  Usually I specifically track anything over 2 weeks on my project schedule- yes it is a good amount of]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 11 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Newforma vs. Submittal Exchange]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/newforma-vs-submittal-exchange/</link><description><![CDATA[The below is based on using both software packages for 2+ years.  There are certainly more advanced comparisons out there- but I wanted to provide one that was short & sweet.

Submittal Exchange is more user friendly and has a simpler interface.  You upload documents, submittal exchange sends out notices, others download documents.  All documents are available online in an organized and easy to follow interface.  Very fast learning curve, flexibility in that you can organize documents how you]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 10 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[What is the Biggest Issue Facing the Construction Industry Today?]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/biggest-issue-facing-the-construction-industry-today/</link><description><![CDATA[Drum roll please...lack of skilled tradesmen.  

While the hot economy has exacerbated this the real root cause here is young people are no longer getting into the building trades.  Unscientifically I’d estimate that the average age of a skilled tradesman on my jobsites the past few years has been mid to late 40s.  The average foreman is 10 yrs older than that.

The cause for this is very simple- unfortunately young people are told to go to college and there is a stigma attached to not]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 10 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why is Budgeting Exterior Panel Systems so Difficult?]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/why-is-budgeting-exterior-panel-systems-so-difficult/</link><description><![CDATA[I think the most commonly disputed area of pricing between construction managers and architects is the rainscreen/panel system.

In my experience the typical commercial rainscreen system can range anywhere from $25-$90 per SF (Furnished & Installed- Boston market).  You would think with such a large range of pricing there would be some pretty clearly defined standards as to what types of panels fall into what range..but that is exactly where-in lies the problem.  With rain screen systems the]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 06 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Polished Concrete for Dummies]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/idiots-guide-to-polished-concrete/</link><description><![CDATA[Full disclosure my batting average with polished concrete floors is .333- which would be great if I was a baseball player- but not so good as a general contractor.  Yes 2 out of 3 polished concrete floors that I have installed are currently under VCT floors- so with that here are some lessons learned and how I hit a homerun on my 3rd at bat (for the record I was not lead project manager on the first two attempts).

Expectations
Set expectations early on in the process- polished concrete is NOT]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 02 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interesting Uses for Drones in Construction]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/to-blog-or-not-to-blog-blog.-of-course-wed-say-that/</link><description><![CDATA[Maybe I was just a little naive- but until I recently attended a trade show featuring drones- I only thought of drones in construction as a revolutionary way to get aerial photos on the cheap!  While I was a little disappointed in myself for not putting 1+ 1 together sooner here are a couple of realizations about how drones will be a real game changer in the construction business:

Inspection or Review of Difficult to Access Areas
Corner cutting contractors beware...no longer will high or]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Three Words that Can Wreak Havoc in a Project Specification]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/welcome-to-our-blog-but-what-is-it/</link><description><![CDATA[Adobe word search made what used to be a tedious & time consuming check pretty straightforward.   Below are some keywords or phrases  I always do a quick word search for  within the documents during the preconstruction phase to help avoid headaches or uncomfortable situations down the road.  Although on the surface it may seem like this post is intended mainly for construction managers and subcontractors (since missing something in the spec usually means it is going to cost someone money)- I]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 30 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 (Often Overlooked) Key Items in a CPM Schedule]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/why-your-titles-should-be-no-longer-than-this/</link><description><![CDATA[Drawing Issuances and Key Decisions to Make this Happen
Even if you have selected the best of the best sitework subcontractor-they cannot start if they do not have drawings from the architect stamped for construction.  Similarly the architect cannot produce proper documents until they have received required feedback/decisions from the proper stakeholders on the client’s side of things.  Odds are there are weeks if not months of design development that should be carefully tracked to ensure the]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 29 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ten Tips For Change Order Review]]></title><link>coliseumconsultants.com/construction-blog/10-tips-for-change-order-review/</link><description><![CDATA[The only thing worse than a change order is an inflated or improperly billed one.  No matter what change orders seem to be a hot button for everyone on the project team (and understandably so) but whether you are an owner, architect, engineer, construction manager, general contractor or even a subcontractor- the below tips will help ensure valuable time and energy is spent building the job- not fighting about change orders:]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 28 Nov 2017 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate></item></channel></rss>
